Opening Sequence Analysis - The Dark Night

The Dark Knight - 2008 (James Dredge)

The opening sequence of a film is vital as it must grab the viewers attention. The most important thing the opening sequence of a film must achieve is to establish a tone so that the audience fall into the same mood as the film they are watching. Often, the most successful film openings bring a well developed sense of intrigue that will leave you settled in your seat desperate to find out more about the story and the characters that are displayed to you. 

Like many opening sequences, in 'The Dark Night', the production company's logo is shown at the very beginning of the film, and being such a big budget film, multiple production company logos are displayed as many company's worked together to produce the film. These logos are the first thing the viewer sees and therefore makes sure they know who the producers of the film are and if they enjoy the film, they will go to more films produced by these companies or they will buy films that have previously been produced by them. However, the tittle of the film is not displayed to the viewer throughout the opening sequence. 

 Warner Bros Pictures owned by TimeWarner

Legendary Pictures

DC Comics

The films genre is quickly conveyed to the viewer as after a quick establishing shot of the setting, a city centre, a window of a office block is shot out quickly displaying to the viewer that the film is going to be an action packed thriller. 

Office window is shot out

Establishing Shot

Ambient music begins just before the window is smashed to indicate to the viewer that something is about to happen. 

In the opening scenes the audiences attention is drawn to the masks that the bank robbers are wearing. This shows the viewer that they are concerned about revealing their identity which creates a sense of intrigue to the viewer as they will want to find out who these people are.

The Mask

The opening sequence uses non-diegetic sound in the form of music which matches the scenes seen on screen as it is fast passed, however it is in the background and as a result you can clearly hear what the characters are saying over the music, while still being able to hear it. 
Enigma codes are used extensively throughout the opening sequence which hooks the audience into the film as they want to find the answers to the questions they have formed in their minds, for example, who is the Joker? Diegetic sound is used to add realism to the opening sequence, for example, you can clearly hear the car door clicking shut when it is closed. Quick cuts are all used through the opening sequence to display the fast pace of the action happening on screen.

For me, this opening sequence stands out from many other opening sequences as the viewer is thrown straight into the thick of the action with no real idea of why a group of clowns are robbing a bank, killing both themselves and innocent people. The opening sequence sets the tone for the entire film and lets the viewer know they are about to witness an action packed masterpiece. 
The opening sequence creates a massive amount of intrigue to the viewer as their minds are absorbed by the events that have happened and they want to know why this bank has been robbed and who exactly by.